{"id":165455,"date":"2024-12-11T06:00:28","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T11:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/?p=165455"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:16:12","slug":"set-designer-polly-philp-on-creating-immersive-spaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/set-designer-polly-philp-on-creating-immersive-spaces\/","title":{"rendered":"Set Designer Polly Philp on Creating Immersive Spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Behind the Image is an ongoing MODELS.com series taking a more personal look at both established and emerging creative talent.<\/em><\/p>\n<style>\n.quote {\nline-height: 1.2em !important;\npadding: 35px 25px;\n}\n.wp-caption {\n    margin-top: 65px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141369\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141369\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/12\/Polly-Philp-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3840\" height=\"5760\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165457\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141369\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/polly-philp\">Polly Philp<\/a> by <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/dexter-lander\">Dexter Lander<\/a> | Image courtesy of The Magnet Agency<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/polly-philp\">Polly Philp<\/a>, Set Designer <\/p>\n<p><strong>Hometown\/country:<\/strong> Chesterfield, Derbyshire<br \/>\n<strong>Based:<\/strong> London &#038; New York<br \/>\n<strong> Representation: <\/strong> The Magnet Agency<\/p>\n<p><strong>How would you describe your work? What\u2019s your trademark?<\/strong><br \/>\nHmm, I like things a little undone! Signs of human error can add a bit of life! <\/p>\n<p><strong>What led you specifically into the world of set design?<\/strong><br \/>\nI fell into it after art school\u2014first by making sets for music videos for friends&#8217; bands, then later on, and finally, by coming to assist <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/janina-pedan\">Janina Pedan<\/a>. <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/ben-toms\">Ben Toms<\/a> was incredibly supportive in giving many of my art school friends opportunities who otherwise wouldn&#8217;t have thought to get involved in fashion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What other jobs have you had?<\/strong><br \/>\nArt Direction\/Production Design for moving images, vintage buyer, and an art-house cinema worker.<\/p>\n<p><strong>As you often set the stage for shoots, what inspires your work?<\/strong><br \/>\nAnything and everything, but most importantly, collaborating closely with people and enjoying that exchange in the run-up to the shoot.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What considerations do you take into account when designing sets for different types of shoots, such as studio versus location shoots?<\/strong><br \/>\nNothing beats creating an environment from scratch, so I&#8217;d always rather be in a studio shoot. However, it can be fun to play with a character and tell that story through specific details and props on location.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you approach collaborating with creative teams to ensure your set designs complement the artistic vision?<\/strong><br \/>\nI have worked with many of my clients for a long time\u2014in some cases, as long as 8-10 years. I really value building up trust and synergy over time, and I think most people make their best work that way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s one thing outside of your work that you would like people to know about you?<\/strong><br \/>\nThat it&#8217;s not all about fashion &#8211; there are so many more important things in life!!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who do you think is one to watch?<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/sam-khoury\">Sam Khoury.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Selected Work<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/12\/3.MiuMiu-FW24-Zoe-Ghertner-Ed-Quarmby-Lotta-Volkova-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1350\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165461\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\nCaitlin Soetendal by Zoe Ghertner | Image courtesy of The Magnet Agency<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/miu-miu-miu-miu-fw-2024-campaign\/2371308\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Miu Miu F\/W 2024 Campaign<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nI love hunting for specific items that are exactly right (sometimes by being a bit wrong). We found this carpet in Manchester, and it was perfect. There was a huge, lovingly made floor underneath the set that was designed to peak out only slightly. It\u2019s all in the details!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/12\/1.Re-Edition-Sharna-Osborne-Benjamin-Kirchhoff-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2718\" height=\"2097\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165459\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\nNassia Matsa by Sharna Osborne | Image courtesy of The Magnet Agency<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/re-edition-magazine-medee\/703982\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Re-Edition Magazine<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nThis shoot sums up what makes me feel most excited on set \u2014 room for spontaneity, resourcefulness, &#038; to play. We wanted a vast feeling landscape, and it was as simple as ripping the colourama. Very satisfying.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/12\/2.Dazed-Commes-Special-Johnny-Dufort-Emma-Wyman-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2576\" height=\"3223\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165460\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\nBente Oort by Johnny Dufort | Image courtesy of The Magnet Agency<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/dazed-magazine-before-you-can-walk\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dazed Comme Special<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nI love making things and problem-solving, and this satisfied both. We used chicken wire and grasses\u2014it was like making a big wig!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/12\/4.Martine-Rose-AW21-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1258\" height=\"1889\" class=\"size-full wp-image-165462\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\nBy Rosie Marks | Image courtesy of The Magnet Agency<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/martine-rose-martine-rose-x-nike\/1645349\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Martine Rose x Nike<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nI love working closely with fabricators, and Paul Simpson did a beautiful job crafting this Subbuteo-style turntable base for the models. <\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/12\/5.Prada-FW23-Carlijn-Jacobs-and-Olivier-Rizz-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"4876\" height=\"3526\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165463\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\nMamuor Majeng by Carlijn Jacobs | Image courtesy of The Magnet Agency<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/prada-prada-fw-2023-\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Prada F\/W 2023 Collection<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nThis became a last-minute puppeteering job rather than anything in post-production. The problem-solving involved was wild, but my team did a great job of carefully guiding the flowers across the set using a series of pulleys and fishing wires.<br \/>\n<!--pp-thumb-start--><!--PictPress found no dir \/2024\/12\/165455--><!--pp-thumb-end--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Behind the Image is an ongoing MODELS.com series taking a more personal look at both established and emerging creative talent. Polly Philp, Set Designer Hometown\/country: Chesterfield, Derbyshire Based: London &#038; New York Representation: The Magnet Agency How would you describe your work? What\u2019s your trademark? Hmm, I like things a little undone! Signs of human&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":450,"featured_media":165469,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12752,10414,16,13943],"tags":[13154,14677],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165455"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/450"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165455"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":165486,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165455\/revisions\/165486"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/165469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}